Apparatus for washing bearings



April 24, 1951 w, G, MERRITT 2,549,837

APPARATUS FOR WASHING BEARINGS Filed Aug. 11, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR WILLIAM 'ED MEHEITT April 24, 1951 w. G. MERRITT 2,549,837

APPARATUS FOR WASHING BEARINGS Filed Aug. 11, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Y/VILLIAM 5: $4511 JTT ATTORNEY April 24, 1951 MERRITT 2,549,837

APPARATUS FOR WASHING BEARINGS Filed Aug. 11, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 BSH ./4O

INVENTOR WILLIAM En MEHEITT BY 5 Q i 4. Q I ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 24, 1951 I 2,549,837

1 haQ omp is li ihe endoth o ie s f h present inventibn; I haye pybikidedjmproved,def tails of "stil'1ct1 1 1" 'e',; he pffe'ffrd form :O f whiqh' iS illustrated in th ac'omp'an'ying drawings; wherem:

e gel is id .J i2 9 ;bart r i 'eet cm. 9 il p arafiuee' pre clean in he r n 'es jmb ee arid embodying the features of the p're'sent inven tion.

Fig. 2 is a. transversegvel tical, sectional view, k n om e ine 29 f we 1, 1

Fig. 3 ifs a tildn ve"""' 1e 1 1 2. 66m: whibh cq1pmunie'qfes with of cme bf the reslli ni zly moupted supports for r'e'eeiiiing the bearing gseeni 1i epo5e le ne d Referii'ngmdr i'n amen heme ,e'rewi'nee as 9 i in axial alignment therewithl 1"11 F1. '1, the Rmil I eeienebee ea ubr'i'g A fir9 b r rod 21 s'ligiably engages,

w ifihifithe 11115151?) 211 'an'd 66111211 25 "so es 150 eiterid,

3 through the tank bottom IT to a point immediately above the cross bar l (Figs. 1 and 2).

For sealing ofi around the rod 27, an internal, annular groove or recess 28 is formed within the nipple 24 and receives a suitable packing ring 29. An enlarged, circular clutch element or disc 3|) is secured to the lower end of the rod below the tank bottom l! and said rod is constantly urged upwardly by a coiled or helical spring 3| so as to be resiliently supported. The latter is confined upon the rod in surrounding relationship between the tank bottom and a collar 32 which is removably connected to said rod above said tank bottom. A suitable thrust bearing 33 may be interposed between the spring 3| and collar 32.

For enclosing the spring, a cylindrical well or sleeve 34 projects upwardly from the tank bottom concentrically of the rod and. a circular defiector plate or shield 35 is secured to said rod above the sleeve so as to overlie the same in closely-spaced relationship upon downward movement of the rod (Fig. 1)

An annular, upwardly-facing shoulder 36 for engaging the lower end of the collar and providing valve means for closing the bore of said collar is formed on the rod 21 by enlarging the intermediate portion of said rod immediately below the collar. Above the shoulder 36, the upper portion of the rod is tubular to provide an axial bore 3'! which is adapted to communicate with the interior of the manifold leg l4 through a plurality of radial openings or ports 38 upon downward movement of said rod. Due to the provision of the spring 3| which constantly urges the rod upwardly, the shoulder is normally held in engagement with the lower end of the collar 25 and the ports 38 are disposed within said collar so as to be out of communication with the manifold leg. A packing ring 39, similar to the ring 29 of the nipple 24, engages within an annular groove or recess 49 formed in the bore of the collar for sealing off around the tubular portion of the rod.

Mounted upon the upper extremity of the rod is an enlarged circular supporting plate or head 4| having an outwardly and upwardly flared or dished seat 42 formed in its upper surface and an axial bore 43 communicating with the bore 31 of said rod. As is clearly shown in Fig. 1, a

bearing assembly 44 is adapted to be supported upon the seat 42 for cleansing purposes and may be of the roller or ball type. The latter type is illustrated and includes a plurality of balls 45 confined between an inner annular race 46 and an outer annular race 41.

For lowering the rods 21 so as to move the ports 38 into registration with the manifold leg I4, a cylinder 48 is mounted upon the upper cross bar 6 in axial alignment with each rod and has a non-rotatable plunger 49 depending from its piston (not shown) so as to undergo reciprocation relative to the rod (Fig. 1). Such reciprocation is controlled by a two-way valve assembly 50 supported by the cross bar and having connection with the upper and lower ends of the cylinder 48. For engaging within and closing the bore of the inner bearing race 46 upon downward reciprocation of the plunger 49, a conical tip 5| is mounted on the lower end of said plunger (Fig. 1). The engagement of the plunger tip with the inner race axially aligns the bearing assembly 44 and clamps its outer race 41 against the dished seat 42 of the head 4|, whereby external communication with the rod bore 31 is established by the spaces between the balls 45 and races of said assembly. A circular plate or hood 52, having an external depending skirt 53, is carried by the plunger above and in concentric relation to the tip 5| so as to closely overlie the bearing assembly upon lowering of said plunger. The hood 52 is preferably formed of transparent plastic material and serves to deflect fluids passing through the bearing assembly downwardly into the tank IS.

A circular clutch element or plate 54 underlies the disc so of each rod 21 in axial alignment therewith and is rotatably supported by the cross bar 5 by means of an integral depending pin 55 which engages within an opening formed in said bar. As is clearly shown in Fig. 1, a collar or bushing 56 is preferably mounted within the opening for receiving the pin 55 and a layer 51 of fibrous material, such as brake lining, is preferably secured to the upper surface of the plate 54 (Fig. 4). The disc 30 is adapted to engage the plate upon lowering of the rod, whereby rotation of said plate is transmitted to said rod. A radial arm 58 projects forwardly from each plate and the outer end of the arm is pivotally connected to the outer ends of the arms of adjacent plates by suitable links 59 (Fig. 4) whereby said plates may be rotated or oscillated about their axes simultaneously.

For accomplishing simultaneous oscillation of the clutch plates, a connecting rod '60 extends from one end of one of the links 59 to a vertical bell crank 6| pivotally supported by an angular bracket 62 which is fastened to the cross bar 7 (Fig. 2). Self-centering or rod end bearings 63 are carried by the ends of the rod 66 for pivotally connecting the same to the link end and the bell crank. One arm of the bell crank 6| is directed upwardly and has an elongated slot 64 (Fig. 1) formed therein for adjustably receiving a screw 65 upon which one of the rod bearings 63 is confined by means of suitable nuts, whereby the stroke of the rod may be varied upon longitudinal adjustment of the screw relative to the slot. A pitman 66 pivotally connects the other arm of the I bell crank to a crank 6'! which is carried and rotated by the reduction gear I Due to the foregoing arrangement, the plates 5d are constantly oscillated about their axes and therods 27. are similarly oscillated when lowered .so as to engage their discs 35 with said plates.

Since a separate valve assembly 50 is provided for each cylinder 48 and its plunger 49, the rods 2'5 may be lowered and oscillated independently by individual actuation of the plungers. The osciliation of the rods is transmitted to the outer races 4? of the bearing assemblies 44 through Operation The operation of a cleansing apparatus constructed as described herein is as follows:

A suitable solvent, such as hot oil, is placed in the tank ls so as to be drawn through the filter compartment I!) by the pump 0 and forced into the manifold l3 and the leg |4 thereof. In order to cleanse thebearing assembly 44, the same is supported upon the head 4| of one of the rods 2? as shown in Fig. 1. The plunger 49 which overlies the rod is thenloweredby manipulating Since the tips 5| of the non-- epit et 5 the roper valve assembly 50 so as to direct air under'pressure to the upper end-of it's cylinder 48, whereby the tip 5| 'of said plunger engages within the bore of the inner race 46 of said assembly so as to clamp its outer race 41 against the seat 42 of the head. Continued lowering of the plunger, moves the rod 27 downwardly until its disc 39 contacts the oscillating plate 54 there below, thereby lowering the ports 38 of said rod into communication with the manifold leg M.

Due to the constant oscillation of the plate 54, the rod, its head and the outer race of the bear-'- ing assembly are oscillated while the inner race remains stationaryso a'sTto rotate the balls 45 back and forth upon their axes.

The solvent within the manifold leg, being under pressure, enters the ports 38 and is dirested upwardly through the bores 31 and 43 of the rod and head, respectively. Since the plunger tip 5': closes the bore of the inner bearing race and the outer bearing race is clamped against the seat 42, the solvent is forced to flow through the space between said races in intimate contact with the balls. It is readily apparent that the simultaneous new 6f the solvent and tank i6. Since the deflector 35 overlies the sleeve 34 and is lowered into close proximity with the upper end thereof upon downward movement of the rod, the solvent is prevented from entering said sleeve and escaping through the lower end of the same. The suction of the pump draws the solvent within the tank through the opening 28 formed in the partition 18 into the filter compartment IQ, longitudinally of said compartment through the screens 22 and then through the angular pipe 2 i. From the pump, the solvent is forced into the manifold i 3 and maintained under pressure therein so as to provide a constant supply.

When the bearing assembly has been thoroughly cleansed, the valve assembly 50 is again manipulated so as to reverse the flow of air from the upper to the lower end of the cylinder 48 and thereby retract or raise the plunger so as to move its tip i out of engagement with the inner bearing race. Since the spring Si is constantly urging the rod upwardly, its tension lifts said. rod upon such disengagement. At the same time, the disc 38 of the rod is raised out of contact with the plate 5 so as to cease oscillation of said rod, its head and the outer bearing race, while the shoulder 33 of the rod is moved upwardly into engagement with the lower end of the collar to dispose the ports 38 within the bore of said collar and seal the same against communication with the manifold leg. The bearing assembly may now be removed from the head and another assembly supported thereupon for cleansing as described hereinbefore. Of course, a plurality of bearing assemblies may be cleansed simultaneously by supporting an assembly upon each head in the manner described.

While I have shown but one embodiment of my invention, it is susceptible to modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I do not wish, therefore, to be limited by the aisdosures set Earth, but only by the scope of the appended claims.

The invention described-herein may be manuraetdred and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment "of any royalties thereon or therefor.

I claimf 1'. apparatus for cleansing bearing as semblies including; a tubular manirom, means for supplying a solvent under pressure to the manifold, a plurality of reciprocal rod's extending transversely through the manifold, resilient means for urging the rods-upwardly, means for limiting the upward movement of s'ai rods, the upper end of each rod haying a bore therein, said rod having ports therein above the interior of the manifold so as to establish communication between the bore and said manifold u on downward movement of the rod, means at the u er end of each rod for supporting a bearing as semmy having concentric races, a plunger adapt= ea to lo'wefed iiitoeh'gagement with each bear: ing assembly '50 as to clamp the same against the supporting means, the bore of the bearing as sembly being closed by the plunger and the rod being forced downwardly by the lowering of the plunger, whereby the ports are moved into com= munication with the manifold to direct the solvent upwardly through the bore and between the races of said bearing assembly, an enlargement at the lower extremity of each rod, and oscillating means adapted to be engaged by the enlargement upon downward movement of said rod, whereby the outer race of each bearing assembly is oscillated while its inner race remains stationary and solvent is directed between said races.

2. An apparatus for cleansing bearing asemblies including, a tubular manifold, means for supplying a solvent under pressure to the manifold, a plurality of reciprocal rods extending transversely through the manifold, resilient means for urging the rods upwardly, means for limiting the upward movemnet of said rods, the upper end of each rod having a bore therein, said rod having ports therein above the interior of the manifold so as to establish communication between the bore and said manifold upon downward movement of the rod, means at the upper end of each rod for supporting a bearing assembly having concentric races, a plunger adapted to be lowered into engagement with each bearing assembly so as to clamp the same against the supporting means, the bore of the bearing assembly being closed by the plunger and the rod being forced downwardly by the lowering of the plunger, whereby the ports are moved into communication with the manifold to direct the solvent upwardly through the bore and between the races of said bearing assembly, and means for oscillating each rod upon such downward movement thereof so as to simultaneously oscillate the outer race of each assembly.

3. An apparatus for cleansing bearing assemblies including a plurality of resilientlymounted rods, the upper end of each rod having a longitudinal bore, means at the upper end of each rod for supporting a bearing assembly havin concentric races, means for closing the bore of each bearing assembly and depressing its supporting rod, means for forcin a solvent through the bore of the rod so as to direct the same between the races of the bearing assembly upon downward movement of said rod, and means for oscillating each rod so as to oscillate a part of said bearing assembly upon such downward movement.

'4. An apparatus for cleansing hearing assemblies including, a plurality of resilientlymounted rods, the upper end of each rod having a longitudinal bore, means at the upper end of each rod for supporting a bearing assembly having concentric races, means for engagin each bearing assembly 0 as to confine the same upon its supporting means and depress its rod, valve means operable by such depressing for directing a solvent into the bore of each rod and through the bearing assembly, and means for oscillating each rod so as to oscillate a part of said bearing assembly upon the depressing of the same.

5. An apparatus for cleansing a bearing assembly having annular races including, a vertically movable support for the bearing assembly. the support having means for directing fluid through said assembly, means for oscillating said support so as to oscillate one race of said assembly relative to t he other race, the fluid directing means and oscillating means being operable in response to vertical movement of said support, and means for movin said support vertically.

6. A bearing assembly cleansing apparatus including, a vertically movable support adapted to receive a bearing assembly, means for engaging and confining the bearing assembly upon the support, said support being moved vertically by the assembly engaging means and havin means for directing a cleaning solvent through said assembly, means operable by said support upon vertical movement thereof for placing said solvent directing means in fluid connection with a source of solvent, means for oscillating a part of the assembly, and means operable by said support upon vertical movement thereof for engaging said oscillating means simultaneously with the connection of said solvent directing means with said source of solvent. 7

WILLIAM G. MERRITT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 147,232 Langguth Feb. 3, 1874 173,422 Schock Feb. 15, 1876 1,766,208 Antiss June 24, 1930 1,878,277 Hodge Sept. 20, 1932 1,894,786 Pew Jan. 17, 1933 2,369,498 Streuber Feb. 13, 1945 

